Weaning off low carb here, progression from ketosis, Atkins, Primal, PHD, Ray Peat, back to low carb, it’s a chaotic, stressful nightmare.
Delving into ketosis and the Atkins induction phase destroyed my health. I started experiencing hypoglycemic episodes on a daily basis, sometimes a few times a day, and particularly after eating. This could NOT be reversed with returning to my previous diet, and it only improved my symptoms slightly but never completely eliminated them.
Low body temperature, brain fog, post-meal hypoglycemia, low appetite, energy crashes, no motivation, no interest, chronic fatigue. CHRONIC. Some never believe this was induced by shocking my system with eliminating glucose out of my body for the first time in my life…
Yep.
I am still optimistic, though, and the improvement of my symptoms has encouraged me to not give up or feel despondent.
Since I reintroduced starch and sugar into my diet, I started progressively feeling worse. However, my body temperature regulated, my energy dips weren’t so frequent and the brain fog subsided slightly but I still was bed-ridden. Some symptoms subsided but new ones started appearing, like shortness of breath, dairy intolerance. My main stressor was the reactive hypoglycemia.
I could not figure it out (and still can’t). Adrenal fatigue, insulin resistance, low thyroid function… I gave up speculating and guessing, as I had no formal diagnosis and blood tests were completely normal.
For the past two weeks I have been experimenting with intermittent fasting for 15-24 hours daily, and this has really helped with the reactive hypoglycemia and energy crashes. In fact, my energy dips have completely disappeared. Reactive hypoglycemia improved…
But I still lack productivity, concentration, attention span etc. I’m patient, and my venture to perfect health continues…
Switched to keto April this year. Progressed to Primal by June, switched to PHD by July/August, throughout this fall I’ve been on and off Peat. Worst year of my life. Experiencing the epitome of the severity of dietary restrictions and its consequences. It has definitely taught me a valuable lesson… health is a priority over vanity.